Engine-starting apparatus



March 11, 1930. G. w. ELSEY 1,750,311

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed June 24. 1926 2' Sheets-Sheet l March 11, 1930. G. w. ELSEY 1,750,311

ENGINE STARTING APPARATUS Filed June 24, 1926 2 Shoots-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 11, 1930 UNITED srATES PA E T? GEORGE w. ELSEY, or ANDERSON, INDIANA, assrenoa, BY MESNE AssIeNM-n v rs DELOO-REMY CORPORATION, OF DAYTON, OHTO, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE ENGINE-STARTING APPARATUS Application filed June 24, 1926. Serial No. 118,230.

means for connecting the motor with the gear est of an engine to be started, said connecting means including a shaft, a pinion movable endwise'along the shaft and into engagement with the engine gear and driven by theshaft to crank the engine, and provisions whereby the pinion will be automatically disconnected from the engine gear when the engine becomes self-operative.

, The objects of the invention include certain improvements whereby the construction of such apparatus will be simplified and the cost materially reduced. More, particularly, it is among the objects of the invention to provide means for yieldingly maintaining the pinion in demeshed or meshed positions.

" Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: Figs. 1, 3 and 4 are fragmentary side views, partly in section, showing an embodiment of the invention in three positions, namely: Fig. 1 shows the apparatus in normal or nonoperating position; Fig. 3 shows the apparatus in engine-cranking position and Fig. t shows the apparatus after the engine has become self-operative and before the foot pedal shown in Fig. 1 has been released.

Y Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2*2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, designates the field frame of an electric motor which is supported by a gear housing 21 adapted to be attached to an engine frame in the usual manner. The right-hand end of the frame 21 and a left-hand end frame (not shown) but carried by the field frame 20, support an armature shaft 22 provided with spirally-splined portions 23 and 2%. The splines of the portion 23 merge into the splines of the portion 2-1 but are of lesser external diameter than the splines of the portion 2%, for a purpose to be dewribedaae;

A pinion 25 is provided with an internallyspirally-splined hub which isspirally sflidabl e along the shaft 22 into engagement withjtll? gear 26 of an engine to be started. the diameter of the splines 23 less than th ameter of the splines 24, a shoulder pro: need. The Shaft 22 being horizontal e pfi, ion 25 must be lifted over the shouldjr the pinion is moved from dem'eshed i shown in Fig. 1, to meshed position shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, the presence of the shoulder 27 tends to prevent" the pinion2'5 drifting into engagement with the gear due to various causes, such as vibration oft vehicle which is equippedwith the engine By maki the motor is caused to operate .to turn-the v shaft in order to move the pinion 25 intocgpalplete enmeshment with the gear 26 andthen to crank the engine. Afterljthegenginebecomes self-operative, it is obvious thatth'e pinion 25 will be automatically .de'meshed from the gear 26 and will be whirledtoward the left so that it will rest upon the spirally: splined portion 23 of the shaft,

Means are provided for yieldingly retain.- ing the pinion 25 in gear-meshing positiomas shown in Fig. 3. This means comprises .a resilient wire split ring 30 which is received by an annular groove 31 provided in the shaft 22, the normal internal diameter of ring 30 being greater than the bottom diam.- eter of the groove 31, as clearly shown inFig. 1. The pinion 25 is provided witha recess which is defined partly by a tapered conical wall 33. The direction of the driving force applied by the pinion to the gear 26 is such as to cause the pinion to be urged toward the ring 30 which serves as a stop to limit the movement of the pinion 25 toward the right of the drawing. After the pinion moves into engagement with the stop ring 30, the recess 32 receives the ring 30 and the conicalwall 33 of the recess is wedgingly engaged bythe ring and causesthe ring to contract about the shaft. Due to the frictional engagement between the wall and the -ring 3 O, the pinion 25 is yieldingly niaint'atined'dirgeafimeshing position, so that the pinion 25 will not be permited to move endwise during the cranking operation. The endwise osc llation of the pinion occurs during the cranking operation due to Variations in the'cranking torque. l/Vhen the engine comes up to compression'the torque increases, and then the enginemay' operate for an instant as a compressed-gas motor to drive the pinion. The pinion may even be demeshed by the action of the engine after immediately following one of its compression strokes, especially under conditions of slow-speed operation of the motor. lVith this type of apparatus the foot pedal operation must be repeated in order to remesh the pinion with the engine gear.

By employing friction means for maintaining the plnlon in engagement with the engine gear, demeshing of the pinion entirely from the gear is substantially eliminated.

'Them'eans for causing the pinion to be moved into engagement with the engine gear and for causing the pinion to rotate prior to enmeshment with the engine gear in case of tooth abutment, comprises a lever 40 rotatable about a stud 41 located at right angles to the shaft 22 so that the lever 40 may swing in a plane parallel to the axis of the shaft 22. The lower end of the lever 40 is pivotally connected with a pawl 42 which is channel-shaped in cross sectlon, so that the pawl-supporting portion of the lever 40 is located between the flanges 43 of the pawl 42. One end of the web portion 44 of the pawl 42 is pointed so as 'to be engageable with an end face ratchet wheel or disc 45 which is drivingly attached tothe pinion 25. The pawl 42 is provided with another pointedproj-ection 46 which is formed by deforming a portion of the web 44. The pawl 42 includes an arm 47 which is engageable with the free end of a spring 48 attached by a clip 49 and a screw 50 to the lever 40. This spring 48 provides means for yieldingly preventing movement in one direction of the pawl 42 relative to the lever 40. The pawl 42 is non-yieldingly prevented from rotating in the opposite direction, or counterclockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 1, by reason of the engagement of the pawl arm with a stop collar 51 which is attached to asleeve 52 loosely mounted on the shaft 22. En'dwise movement of the collar 51 toward the left is limited by its engagement with a stop collar 53 surrounding the shaft 22.

The lever 40 is operated by a pedal 60 connected with the lever 40 by pedal 61 which extends through a cup-shaped member 62 adapted to be attached to the floorboard 63 of an automobile. A spring 64 located between the pedal 60 and the cup-shaped member 62 tends to maintain the lever 40 in the position shown in Fig. 1. When the lever is thus located, it will engage the stop collar 53. I ikewise, the pawl arm 47 will be engaged by the stop collar 51.

The circuit of the motor is controlled by a switch which is located within a housing attached to the field frame 20 by screws 71 The switch comprises a plunger 72 located in the path of movement of the lever 40. The plunger carries a cap 73 and a spring 74 located between the case 70, and the cap 73 tends to maintain the plunger 72 in switchopen position.

To start the engine the operator will press the pedal 60 downwardly to cause the lever 40 to move in a counterclockwise direction. Since the lever 40 constitutes a means for pivotally supporting and bodily moving the pawl 42, the pawl 42 will be moved toward the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, so that the pointed web portion 44 will engage one of the teeth of the ratchet 45. The action of the pawl 42 is to move the pinion 25 endwise as well as to cause it to rotate. Thus the pinion 25 will be moved into engagement with the engine gear 26, and the motor switch will be closed by the cooperation of the lever 40 with the plunger 72 after gear engagement has been substantially completed. In case of gear tooth abutment arresting movement of the pinion 25, the pawl 42 will be operated to rotate the pinion 25 sutliciently to produce gear-meshing registration thereof.-

The cranking position of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 3. After the motor switchis closed, the operation of the motor shaft will move the pinion 25 a slight distance further toward the right, as viewed in the drawings, in order that the pinion will be wedgingly engaged by the ring 30 and so that the ratchet disc 45 will move out of engagement with the pawl 42. hen the pawl 42 is relieved of contact with the ratchet disc 45, the spring 48 will return the pawl 42 to its normal angular position relative to the lever 40.

After the engine becomes self-operative, the pinion 25 will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear 26, as shown in Fig. 4. If the lever 40 still be retained in operating position after the engine becomes self-operative, the ratchet disc 45 will engage the pawl 42 to move it to the position shown in Fig. 4. In this position of the pawl 42 the teeth of the ratchet 45 simply move over the plane surface provided by the web portion 46. Thus no noise is produced by the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet. Vhen the pedal 50 is released, the spring 64 will re turn the lever 40 to the position shown in Fig. 1. As the lever 40 returns to this'position, the pawl arm 47 will engage the stop collar 51 in order that the pawl 42 will be restored to normal position relative to the lever 40.

It will be noted that the spring 48 limits movement of the pawl 42 relative to the lever 40 in one direction only. Therefore, the spring 48 is inoperative to apply pressure to the pawl 42 such as would tend to resist movement of the pinion 25 toward the left in the drawings when the pinion 25 is automatically demeshed from the gear 26. The ratchet l5 will engage the pawl 42, and move it to the position shown in Fig. 4. When the pedal 60 is released, the pawl arm 47 and the stop member 51 cooperate to restore the pawl 42 to normal angular position relative to the lever 40, so that the pawl will be operative to impart axial and rotary movement to the pinion 25 when the pedal 60 is pressed again.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a motor; means for connecting the motor with the gear of an engine to be started and including a shaft, a pinion slidable along the shaft into mesh with the engine gear and driven by the shaft, and provisions whereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear when the engine becomes self-operative; and means for yieldingly retaining the pinion in gear-meshing position relative to the shaft during the cranking operation, said means being free of the pinion substantially before the pinion is completely demeshed.

2. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 1 in which the retaining means serves also as a stop to limit endwise movement of the pinion in one direction.

3. Engine starting apparatus according to claim 1 in which the retaining means includes a resilient split ring received by an annular groove in the shaft, of smaller bottom diameter than the normal inside diameter of the split ring, the ring engaging an annular conical surface of the pinion which surface tends to contract the ring into said groove.

4. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a motor; a shaft operated by the motor; means for connecting the shaft with the gear of an engine to be started including a pinion movable along the shaft into mesh with the engine gear including provisions whereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear when the engine becomes self-operative,- manually operated means for moving the pinion into mesh with the gear and for rotating the pinion prior to gear meshment in case of tooth abutment, said means including a pivotally supported pawl having its pointed portion extending toward the pinion but normally out of engagement therewith, an

end-face ratchet attached to the pinion and engageable by the pawl, a member for supporting and moving the pawl bodily relative to the pinion so that the pawl and ratchet may cooperate to impart axial and rotary .mevement a I aele izgrriilg ta ked totbe :mem :and verlvmg a pan cf the pawl ifiSEbJ-fifialllfillfll memeut .ef. the'nawl in one direction only relatlve'to the supportmgmember; and means; for-me.

s aring th Paw' lte n rmalzposition relative in its s ppen mg member whea'thevsupportinglsli oved .uermal positmn an the pawl is. disengaged;- from the ratchet, said pawl-res oringmeans. including a stop memberon the shaft and an arm at the pawl, said a m being adaptedto engage t e step member when. the pawl is moved to ,normalpesitien- Y .cembmation aimoter; a shaft operated by the. mete means fer connecting the shaft w h. the gear of an engine to be. started includ ng-a :pin szm movable alongtheshait into me h W th the (engine gear and including pro; 1

vi ions whereby the pinion'will be autcuna'car wil y-demeshed from the engine gear when "the ng n be omes fieelf-operativeg'f manually op ted me ns for moving; the pinion iinto mesh with the engine ear and for rotating the pinion prior to gear cnmeshment case of toeth abutment, said means comprising a lever movable in aplane parallelflto the aft, an aniline-ratchet carried by the pinion, and a double-pointed pawl pivotally supported by the lever and adapted to engage the ratchet, said pawl being channel-shape in cross section and so located that the pawlsupporting portion of the lever is located between the flanges of the pawl and one of the pawl points is provided by deforming a por tion of the web of the pawl.

6. Engine starting apparatus comprising, in combination, a motor; a shaft operated by the motor; means for connecting the shaft with the gear of an engine to be started including a pinion movable along the shaft into mesh with the engine gear and including provisions whereby the pinion will be automatically demeshed from the engine gear when the engine becomes self-operative; manually operated means for moving the pinion into mesh with the engine gear and for rotating the pinion prior to gear meshment in case of tooth abutment, said means comprising a lever movable in a plane parallel to the shaft, an end-face ratchet carried by the pinion, a pawl pivotally supported by the lever and adapted to engage the ratchet, said pawl being channel-shape in cross-section and so located that the pawl supporting portion of the lever is located between the flanges of the pawl, and a leaf spring attached to the lever and engaging a flange portion of the pawl for yieldingly resisting movement of the pawl toward the ratchet.

7 Engine starting apparatus according to claim 6 in which the lever engages the web portion of the pawl to limit movement of the pawl relative to the lever in one direction.

5, Eng ne s a ting apparatus comprising,

- 821 Enginestarting apparatuscompri'sing, in combination5-a.; otor asha ft'operated-by the motor; means for ponnectingthe shaft withth'e gear (pf-an engine to be' started ineluding a pinion movable along the shaft into mesh with the engine gear and including provisions whereby the pinionwill be autoniaticallydemeshecl from *the engine gear when the engine becomes self-operative; man'- ually operated mea-ns'for moving the pinion intomeshwith the engine gear and for rotating the pinion prior 'to gear meshment in case of tooth abutment, said means comprising a lever movable in a plane parallel to the shaft,

signature it GEORGE W.'ELSEY. 

